Writing about the fiscal cliff is futile, especially now that we’re over it. Who wants to spend time with a group of people who voluntarily set up a drop-dead event to force them to act and then decided that, actually, they’d rather drop dead — and take the country with them?

Instead, I have opted for a satisfying detour into things that matter. (All-purpose disclaimer: I’m not saying that my usual subject, politics, doesn’t matter. Just that this week it matters less than usual.)